Silvertips lose game, home-ice advantage

Published 11:52 pm Friday, March 14, 2008

EVERETT — Kyle Beach plays on the edge. The talented Everett Silvertips winger always tiptoes right up to the line of legality, sometimes crossing it.

But Friday night, Beach stepped way over that line, and as a result the Silvertips lost home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Yet another moment of intransigence by Beach cost Everett dearly, and the Silvertips fell 3-1 to the Seattle Thunderbirds in their final home game of the regular season.

Before a sellout crowd at Comcast Arena, Everett saw its chances of home-ice in the first round go up in smoke as Bud Holloway and Greg Scott scored during a five-minute major penalty taken by Beach, breaking a 1-1 tie.

And Everett coach John Becanic made it clear what role he thought Beach’s antics played in the outcome.

“One person cost us the game tonight,” Becanic said.

“He cost us a goal in the first period. He cost us our captain (Jonathan Harty) being out for 17 minutes having to defend him. He cost us the two power-play goal in the third.”

Ian McKenzie also scored and Riku Helenius made 34 saves in goal for Seattle (40-23-5-2), which clinched fourth place in the Western Conference, thus earning the final home-ice slot in the first round.

“In the playoffs you have to play in both rinks,” said Seattle coach Rob Sumner, who seemed underwhelmed by clinching home-ice. “I suppose it’s an advantage, most people would view it that way. But there’s no nights off, you’ve got to play in whatever rink the game’s in.”

Shane Harper scored the lone goal for Everett and Leland Irving made 38 saves in goal for the Tips (39-28-0-3), who lost their third straight.

Everett needed to win all three of its games this weekend to earn home-ice advantage. Now the Tips have their work cut out just to earn fifth. Everett remained one point behind fifth-place Kelowna, which lost 4-2 at Tri-City. Everett has two games remaining, at Chilliwack today and at Seattle on Sunday. Kelowna has one game remaining at home today against Prince George.

In a hard-hitting and ill-tempered affair that included five fights, Everett played well for the most part and had every chance to win it going into the third period.

But that was without accounting for Beach. Beach had already taken two bad penalties in the first period, the T-birds scoring on the second of those to take a 1-0 lead.

Then at 7 minutes, 53 seconds of the third Beach checked Seattle’s Benn Olson from behind, resulting in a five-minute major and a game misconduct. Seattle scored twice during the penalty to put the game away.

“I’m tired of everybody portraying him like he’s doing stuff for the team,” Becanic said about Beach. “I told him. ‘You wake up in the morning if you think you’ve done something to help this team win a hockey game, then you can live with yourself.’ All I ask the guys to do is everybody to be able to look at themselves and say, ‘Did you do something to help our team win?’ (Zack) Dailey’s line, unbelievable hard work, great game. Everybody, five-on-five we played unbelievable. We competed hard, we were physical. One thing was the difference.”

Beach faces a suspension for the major penalty. It’s possible the suspension could last into the playoffs.

The ever controversial Beach now has 222 penalty minutes this season, fourth most in the league.

Thunderbirds 3, Silvertips 1

Seattle102—3

Everett010—1

@5. NHL box :First Period—1, Seattle, McKenzie 18 (Rai, Hickey), 14:38 (pp). Penalties—Karamnov, Everett (hooking), 2:15; Scott, Seattle (goaltender interference), 2:59; Crowley, Everett (slashing), 4:35; Acolatse, Seattle (cross checking), 9:01; Beach, Everett (roughing), 10:55; Olson, Seattle (roughing-fighting), 12:59; Jackson, Seattle (roughing), 12:59; Beach, Everett (roughing-high sticking), 12:59; Harty, Everett (instigator-fighting-10-minute misconduct), 12:59; Gendur, Everett (10-minute misconduct), 14:38.

Second Period—2, Everett, Harper 17 (Gendur, Hamill), 7:54 (pp). Penalties—Dailey, Everett (roughing), 0:40; Dillon, Seattle (interference), 4:23; Haber, Seattle (interference), 7:13; Burt, Everett (charging), 18:56.

Third Period—3, Seattle, Holloway 39 (Richard), 9:55 (pp). 4, Seattle, Scott 38 (Jackson, Richard), 11:53 (pp). Penalties—Olson, Seattle (boarding), 2:26; Mistelbacher, Everett (tripping), 5:15; Beach, Everett (major-checking from behind-game misconduct), 7:53; McKenzie, Seattle (roughing), 9:08; Crowley, Everett (roughing), 9:08; Acolatse, Seattle (fighting-game misconduct), 19:55; Holloway, Seattle (fighting-game misconduct), 19:55; Olson, Seattle (cross checking-fighting), 19:55; Bauer, Everett (fighting), 19:55; Dailey, Everett (fighting-game misconduct), 19:55; Hamill, Everett (slashing), 19:55; Harty, Everett (fighting-game misconduct), 19:55; Boyer, Seattle (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:58; Quakenbush, Seattle (fighting), 19:58; Burt, Everett (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:58; English, Everett (fighting), 19:58.

Shots on goal—Seattle 12-11-18—41. Everett 12-18-5—35. Power-play opportunities—Seattle 3 of 9. Everett 1 of 5.

Goalies—Seattle, Helenius 21-12-5-1 (35 shots, 34 saves). Everett, Irving 27-24-0-3 (41 shots, 38 saves).

A—8,511.